ROPO effect: this is what it means

The ROPO effect describes a phenomenon from the shopping world. The abbreviation stands for “Research online, purchase offline”.

This is the ROPO effect

For many, online shopping is the easiest and most convenient way to purchase new products. But there are many other ways to get to your destination – one of which is described by the ROPO effect.

• ROPO means written out “research online, purchase offline”. This translates as “research online, buy offline”.

• This means that customers first research and compare products or prices on the Internet before finally making a purchase in a stationary retail outlet.

• The ROPO effect, however, can also say the opposite: If a customer goes to the store to look at and test the latest vacuum cleaner models and then buys the appliance online because it is cheaper there, this is referred to as “research offline, purchase online. “

Showrooming vs. webrooming: simply explained

So, since the abbreviation ROPO is not clear at first glance, there are synonymous terms that describe the buying behavior.

• Showrooming is the term for the fact that a customer informs himself or herself in stationary retail, looks at and compares products and then ultimately orders them online.

• Webrooming means the opposite: consumers research function or quality on the Internet – reading through customer reviews of a product, for example – but then prefer to buy locally.